Boy
by Jack Mitchell
Summary: Riddick wants to leave Jack with Imam, and although the Imam is kind, Jack wants to be accepted as someone else. Will he contain his anger? Or break free as who he really is?


_Preamble – This is my version of events following their escape from the planet. I'm not going along with any other versions that have been written, this is my fic, and I can do what I want with it. It's my first fic writing about Pitch Black, but I watched the movie yesterday and I felt inspired. If you want me to do more chapters let me know ok? If not, it's ok as it stands._

_Disclaimer – I don't own any of these characters except for Burinda._

_Rating – 15+ (I'm not too sure how ratings work in America, but the F word appears in this story)_

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The ship roared away from the dead planet, slamming into the dark creatures that had haunted it's surface for over twenty two years, burning them up in the beams of the escape ship.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in the chair.

"Allah ackbah." The Imam sighed, clasping his hands together. "We are saved."

"That was fucking scary." Jack said, the fear only just beginning to fade into being through the veil of shock.

"Yeah, well it's over now." Riddick said, keeping his eyes on the control panel in front of him, searching for a shipping lane.

"Shughlak tamam, sabiiyah, you did well." The Imam said to Jack with a nod.

Jack seemed as though about to ask something but decided against it, and instead lay back again, eyes closed.

"How long do you think until we reach civilisation?" Iman asked, turning to look at the back of Riddick's head.

"Not long." He replied simply.

Jack's eyes opened slightly and examined Riddick, wanting to imprint his form to memory.

"Get some sleep." Riddick said suddenly and Jack knew he'd noticed.

When Jack awoke they were coming into descent on a new planet.

"Where are we?"

"We're safe now tiflah, safe." Imam said, patting Jack on the arm.

"You two get going." Riddick said.

"What about you?" Jack exclaimed, pulling against Imam's guiding hand as the older man led the way to the disembarkation slope.

"What about me? You're lucky I brought you here at all. Now get going." He said sternly.

"You'll need to recharge the cells." Jack said simply, before turning and walking off the ship.

"See you kid." Riddick muttered, getting to his feet and checking the power cells energy levels. They did need charging.

Meanwhile the Imam and Jack were heading across the fairly dusty terrain. The occasional plant fluttered in the breeze by someone's doorway, stalls sold meagre wares at the roadside. Jack kept glancing back at the ship as Imam led the way.

"Here, out of the sun." he said kindly, leading Jack into a dark shop interior. "Your clothes are spoiled many times over aanisah, we will get you fresh ones. My friend, she owns this place."

"Ah, too long it has been!" a woman said, emerging from a room in the back. Her smile faded as she looked into the Imam's eyes. "Allah have mercy what has happened? Where are the other boys?"

The Imam lowered his eyes sadly.

"There was an accident Burinda, they did not survive." He replied. She put her hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes, muttering Arabic phrases as she stumbled into her chair and sat down.

"Whose boy is this?" she asked after a moment, she wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to regain composure. Jack was about to reply but the Imam interrupted.

"This is a girl Burinda, she was one who lived. I have yet to learn her true name." Imam smiled, patting Jack on the shoulder. Jack's face glowered slightly.

"Such short hair for a girl," Burinda said, shaking her head, "I get you a sari, it will keep you cool and cover you."

"No." Jack said, fighting against anger "No, I'm fine."

"But you cannot wear such dirty clothes daughter, you will catch diseases." Burinda smiled kindly.

Jack seemed to be struggling even more intensely against rising anger.

"We will cover your head, until your hair grows then, yes?" the Imam said. "Now, what is your real name child?"

"JACK!" Jack shouted, anger exploding out of him.

Burinda was shocked, but tried to maintain normality.

"Jackie yes?"

"No! Not Jackie! Jack!" he said sternly, breathing heavier. "I don't want a sari, I don't want to grow my hair, and I'm not your daughter!"

"Please! Calm yourself sabiiyah." The Imam implored.

"What are you saying to me? I don't speak your language!" Jack cried out exhasperated.

"It is a phrase merely, no cause for alarm!" Burinda said.

"It is the shock affected her." The Imam explained "She has suffered much."

"Sabiiyah just means….um..how would you say it…young girl." Burinda explained "Now I have some nice material that you could…"

Jack screamed through his teeth, a guttural chocking scream that was mainly kept within him.

"I'm sorry…Imam…" Jack said, looking up at the dark skinned man who had been so kind. "I can't stay."

Jack turned and ran from the building, the shouts of the kindly couple within echoing after him as his feet pounded on the sand.

Tears pricked his eyes but he kept on running, heart pounding in fear at the thought that he had left it too long.

He could already imagine arriving, moments too late, and seeing Riddick fly up and away, leaving him behind with Imam on this strange planet.

The ship bay doors were starting to close, Jack's muscles and lungs burned as he ran at his top speed, leaping and balling up at the last second, eyes screwed closed as he made a jump of suicidal madness and tumbled through the rapidly closing gap, landing onto the floor of the cabin and bashing his head.

Riddick was on his feet in an instant, shiv out, he turned to face the noise. Jack lay on the floor, clutching his shaved head in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Riddick asked simply.

"Sunbathing…" Jack groaned "You?" Riddick reached out to open the doors. Jack twisted to look up at him, arm outstretched.

"No!" he exclaimed

"What?" Riddick asked, hand hovering over the dial.

"Don't leave me here Riddick, they don't understand."

"Understand what kid?" Riddick said

Jack struggled to sit up, rubbing his head.

"Me, they don't understand me." Jack sighed.

"And I do? Get out of here." Riddicks hand went for the dial again.

"No!" Jack shouted angrily and jumped to his feet, lunging for Riddick's hand. A powerful back slap sent him staggering into the wall, blood crept out of a cut in Jack's sun parched lip but he just snarled and went for Riddick again.

The larger man frowned in confusion at the sight of the kid trying to fight him, he swatted him backwards again.

"Get back to the Imam girl, he can raise you." Riddick said with a shrug as Jack picked himself up from the floor.

"No, you don't believe that." Jack growled.

"Believe what?" Riddick asked, hand lowering from the dial "I'm sure he can raise you."

"Fuck being raised!" Jack shouted "I'm talking about you thinking I'm a girl, you don't believe that. They do!" he yelled, pointing wildly at the ship door. "They think I'm a girl. Ever since you figured on outed me back on that hell hole, no one calls me Jack any more, they call me kid or girl."

"You were a liability." Riddick said "At least I let you live."

"You were going to kill me?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"Not me." Riddick said simply and turned back to the dial.

"Don't make me die trying Riddick." Jack said, his voice becoming choked with unshed tears. Riddick turned back and looked at the dirty determined face of Jack, anger and desperation boiling away behind the tear rimmed eyes, small fists clenched.

Riddick walked past him and back to the cock pit, taking a seat at the helm.

Jack breathed out and looked at him suspiciously.

Riddick flicked the priming switches, the ship whirred online. Suddenly out of the cockpit window they saw the Imam and the woman, running to the scene, he was clutching his hat onto this head as he ran.

"Stop." He shouted "Is the girl with you?"

Even though sound couldn't penetrate the reinforced glass Riddick could see what the Imam was yelling. He turned and glanced back into the dark interior of the ship and raised his goggles; Jack was standing there, challenging and bristling with defiance. Young eyes locked onto Riddick's gleaming silver iris's as they examined him. The convict turned back to face Imam, still down on the ground below the ship.

"Is the girl with you?" he repeated, mouthing the words and pointing at the ship frantically.

Riddick shook his head and flicked the last couple of switches leading up to the main one that would take them out of the system, he replied.

"There's no girl here."


End file.
